Plectrums (or, “picks” as they are commonly known) are known devices which help a user “pick” or strum a stringed instruments of the lute family such as a guitar, banjo or mandolin. A problem often arises when either the user accidentally mis-positions the pick in relation to the stringed instrument (which may occur, for example, by the user's lack of clamping strength between the user's thumb and index finger, or due to perspiration while playing), or when the user drops the plectrum.
Various attempts have been made in the past to provide plectrums which allow the player some degree of gripping means to prevent slippage while in use. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,302 to Jonathan discloses a pick with two opposing rubber pieces glued onto the pick's sides. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,308 to Balog discloses a felt material being glued to the pick's sides, with felt being used to prevent slippage due to a finger's perspiration. U.S. Pat. No. 6,346,662 to Sielaff discloses gel-filled pads added to a plectrum to obtain better grip. However, the problem with this type of disclosure is that it is known in the art that gluing or attaching non-slip pads to one plectrum at a time is an inefficient way to produce the high quantities needed to supply the plectrum industry. Other prior art does not rely on any type of secondary material added to the first material used to form the pick, but rather, relies on the material which is used to form the plectrum. Such a disclosure is shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,610,349 to Fogarty et al., which discloses raised portions of a plectrum's surface that are molded as part of the same plectrum material.
The present invention has been developed in order to overcome these and other drawbacks of the prior art devices by providing a single plectrum having at least a second material coating that encompasses all four sides of the gripped portion of the plectrum and a quick and efficient way to mass produce such plectrums in high quantities.
Accordingly, it is one object of the present invention to disclose a musical instrument grip plectrum formed from a first material, the plectrum, when viewed from the top plan view, has a generally triangular shaped body with a broad top portion, an intermediate portion, and a narrow bottom portion, with the top and intermediate portion being substantially covered with a second material that has a greater degree of grip than the first material. In one embodiment, this first material is preferably varied in composition to produce different degrees of flexibility.
It is a further object of the present invention to disclose a manufacturing method to cover the first material with a second material. As such, in one preferred embodiment, the first material is disclosed to have protrusions of varying shape (such as, for example, circular or rectangular). The first material may further be adapted to receive a manufacturer's logo and may also contain through openings. The protrusions extending from the top and intermediate portions are adapted to maintain centralization of the top and intermediate portions in a manufacturing mold while the second material is being applied.
In an alternate embodiment of the manufacturing method, the manufacturing mold is adapted to have protrusions extending from it which centralizes the first material which is generally flat in shape at the top and intermediate portion. The protrusions in the manufacturer's mold may be of varying shape (for example, either circular or rectangular) and may also include the manufacturer's logo.